


The Boys of Summer

by dixons_mama



Series: Song Inspired Fics [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Amputee Bucky Barnes, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys Kissing, Concerts, Falling In Love, Feelings, M/M, Memories, Mentioned Green Day, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Summer, Trauma, Underage Drinking, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 16:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19176733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dixons_mama/pseuds/dixons_mama
Summary: It's been a long time since Steve has seen Bucky, and a sudden request to meet up after years apart has him remembering why he missed Bucky so much.Even if he was still pissed off at him.





	The Boys of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the song The Boys of Summer by Zayde Wolf. I highly recommend you listen to it before reading this.
> 
> Thank you so much to the incredible Humapuma for helping me with this!

Steve stood at the shore, digging his bare toes into the sand as the tide splashed onto his feet. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time again. 

After 15 years apart, Steve was going to see Bucky again. That was the plan anyway. Bucky was now nearly an hour late. Steve frowned at his phone and shoved it back into his shorts. Bucky had always been late. Back when Steve had known Bucky, that is. Maybe he just wasn't coming. 

Steve had received a private message from James Barnes on Facebook three days ago. Bucky had asked if they could meet up, not really explaining why he was contacting Steve so suddenly.

The message brought back memories he'd tried to keep at bay for years. Steve had fallen in love with Bucky before he even knew what he was feeling was called. The two had been nearly inseparable as they grew up together. Steve helped Bucky with his algebra, and Bucky helped Steve when he was in over his head with a bully. 

The last time Steve had seen him, they'd been teenagers. They had been best friends for years. Then, Bucky had been in a car collision with his parents. Mr and Mrs. Barnes had lost their lives, Bucky had lost his arm. Less than 24 hours before that horrible accident, Bucky had been Steve's first kiss. Bucky claimed he just couldn't go on knowing his "best guy" hadn't kissed anyone. 

**

  
_  
They were both tipsy from sipping cheap rum all night. Lying on their backs on the warm beach, they took turns drinking and swapping ridiculous stories. Steve then made a self deprecating joke about how he'd never been kissed._

_"Woah, woah! You ain't never kissed someone?" Bucky asked, sounding downright appalled. Steve simply shook his head and stared up at the stars above them. Suddenly Bucky's face was right above him, each hand on either side of his face._

_"Move it, Buck! I'm trying to find Orion's belt!" Steve pushed at Bucky's shoulder, but there was no real force behind it. He was just grateful it was too dark for his blushed cheeks to be visible._

_"Nah, forget the stars. We gotta fix this! Can't believe my best guy hasn't blessed anyone with these lips!" Bucky squeezed Steve's face in his hand, making his lips pucker out. Steve muffled a protest, but then Bucky leaned down and kissed him. At first Steve was frozen. This couldn't be real. Bucky then released Steve's face, but continued staring at him._

_"Ok?" Bucky whispered, and Steve could feel his warm breath on his face._

_"Ok." Was all he got out before Bucky was kissing him again. They laid there in the sand and kissed until the sun began rising. Eventually they parted, having to get back home before getting caught breaking curfew. Neither said anything about what they'd done, or what it meant._

** 

After Bucky was released from the hospital, Bucky had moved to Indiana with his sister, to live with his aunt and uncle. Steve had written. He sent a letter to Bucky every single week for 6 months. Not once did he get a reply. Steve had been sad at first, that turned to humiliation, then anger. How could his supposed best friend just ignore him like that? 

At the sound of gravel crunching, Steve turned and saw a Cadillac pulling out of the parking lot of the beach. As it turned, he could make out a Green Day sticker on the bumper. A little voice inside his head told him not to look back, never look back. But the memories flooded over him regardless. 

**

_Steve and Bucky had gone to an outdoor Green Day concert, just a few months before the accident. Back then, Steve had been short and scrawny, and he could barely see the band over the heads of everyone in front of them._

__

_"Get on my shoulders, Stevie!" Bucky had shouted over the music. Steve simply scowled at him. "C'mon, or you're gonna miss the whole thing!" Of course Bucky was right, and so he had relented. With a wide grin, he had hoisted Steve up onto his naked shoulders. Neither gave a damn about the weird looks they got. In that moment, it had been just them enjoying the concert. Nothing and no one else mattered._

** 

__

__

A shiver ran down his back as Steve remembered Bucky's brown skin shining in the light of the sun. Bucky had kept a firm grasp onto Steve's skinny legs the whole time. It had been the best day of his life.

A seagull shrieked above him and Steve realized he was still staring at the parking lot. With a heavy sigh, he picked up his shoes and began walking toward his motorcycle. Bucky wasn't late. He wasn't coming. Anger swirled through Steve, why was Bucky doing this to him again?

Just as Steve was about to slide his sandy feet into his shoes, he heard someone shouting behind him. He turned around and his jaw dropped. A sweat soaked Bucky was running toward him, one arm reaching out to him.

“Steve!” He panted, “Please don't leave, I'm so sorry I'm late.” Once he was finally in front of Steve, Bucky bent over, placing his right hand on his knee, taking deep breaths.

Stunned, Steve gaped at Bucky's appearance. He had long hair pulled up in a messy bun. A black tank top clung to his sweaty body, and dark wash jeans with rips in the knees fit his muscular legs like a glove.

"Uh, are you ok?" Once Steve's brain got over the shock of seeing Bucky so suddenly, he couldn't help but notice the stump where his left arm used to be. Seeing it felt like someone dumping a bucket of cold water over him. It made the sadness, the humiliation, and the anger flare, like it had never stopped. 

"Yeah, thanks." Bucky finally stood up straight, wiping a few strands of hair off his damp forehead. "My car broke down halfway here. I'm sorry you had to wait so long." 

Steve nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. 

"Did.. did you run all the way here?" He finally asked. Bucky rubbed the back of his neck shyly. 

"Yeah, I know how much you hate waiting. I felt awful knowing you were out here by yourself." Bucky replied softly. Steve rubbed his face harshly, suddenly this meeting felt like a horrible mistake. 

"So, you were pretty vague about why you wanted to meet up. And here of all places." Steve made a sweeping motion towards the beach. 

Bucky looked towards the ocean, the setting sun reflecting on the Wayfarers pushed up on his head. 

"I finally have my head straight. I wanted to tell you something. I've always wanted to tell you, but I was always too scared." Slowly, Bucky took Steve's hand into his and lead them to the sandy shore. 

Steve felt at a loss for words. Anxiety twisted his stomach into knots and he glanced around the empty beach nervously. He desperately wanted to yank his hand out of Bucky's.

"What do you mean, you have your head on straight?" Steve asked quietly. They stopped walking and Bucky turned to look at him.

"After the accident, after I had to.. had to leave you, I was in a dark place Steve. I couldn't get out of it, and my life really spiraled out of control." Bucky looked down, and Steve gripped his hand more tightly. Regardless of everything, it broke his heart to think about Bucky suffering. 

"My love for you never stopped. I think maybe it's the only reason I'm even alive today." Lifting his head slightly, Bucky gave a sad smile. Steve's jaw dropped. 

"Steve, that Summer before the accident, spending every day on the beach with you, it was the best time of my entire life. I just wanted to be with you every second of every day." 

Steve could feel tears stinging his eyes. 

"You had all those boyfriends, though. I thought-" 

"I didn't care about them. I was stupid and looked for the love I wanted from you in them." Bucky choked out the words between quiet sobs. 

"Stevie, I.. I always knew my love for you would still be strong, even after the boys of Summer had gone." 

Bucky slid his hand over Steve's wet cheek, and pressed their bodies together. Together they leaned in and their lips met. It started gently, but it soon turned deep and passionate. 

Slowly, Steve pulled back and rested his forehead on Bucky's. 

"Bucky, I loved you, and I missed you so much it hurt. I was so mad at you, for a really long time. One phone call, one letter, was all I wanted." Fresh tears rolled down Steve's face. 

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I never wanted to hurt you, but I felt so broken. I thought.. thought you'd be better off without me. I didn't want to taint your light with the darkness I felt." 

Steve wrapped his powerful arms around Bucky and held him close. He felt Bucky's tight grip on the back of his shirt. 

"I could never be better off without you. Buck, I'd rather have nothing, with you in my life, than have everything, without you." 

Bucky pulled back and began kissing him, almost frantically. Steve kissed back with everything he had. The future's blurry, but the past is a trap. It was time to look forward. 

"I'm with ya, until the end of the line. Jerk." He whispered into Bucky's wet lips, and a smile spread across his face. 

"Until the end of the line, punk." 

**Author's Note:**

> The line "the future's blurry, but the past is a trap" comes from another Zayde Wolf song called Cold Blooded.
> 
> Kudos and comments mean the world to me!


End file.
